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• Battlefield 1943 coming July 8th

  by Chris Holmes July 2nd 2009 7:10 PM EDT0 Comments

  DICE finally announced today that Battlefield 1943 will be released on XBLA next week, on July 8th for 1200 MS Points. In all honesty you’re not getting a huge amount of content for your money, just four WWII maps (Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Coral Sea), and only two modes. Essentially, the maps have been taken from Battlefield 1942, given some lick and polish and some destructible buildings with the frostbite engine.
  
  The main focus of the game is on the online multiplayer side of proceedings, a dubious step for XBLA games given that the service hasn’t really delivered a perfect multiplayer smash from the get go (anyone remember the hassle trying to play a game in Castle Crashers?). Furthermore, the Coral Sea map in this game is air only and is only unlocked when 43 million kills have been made across Live. It seems EA just can’t resist the temptation to make us work for our content. At least we don’t have to pay more for it for a change.
  
• This Week In Fake Plastic Cover Bands: 6/30

  by Zack Rovinsky June 30th 2009 10:00 PM EDT0 Comments

   It's that time of the week again, when a young man's fancy turns to buying songs for his music games. So here's what's going up this week because, as an informed consumer, it's you're duty to know what you should be buying.
  
  This week Rock Band has 3 more songs from the Warped tour; an event that's been bringing in the youngsters and wringing money out of them since 1995. This week's warped songs are:
  
  Thrice - Image of the Invisible
  Dear and the Headlights - Sweet Talk
  The Devil Wears Prada - Hey John, What's Your Name Again?
  
  While we're on the subject of things that are more popular than they deserve to be, there's also a 3-pack from over-polished arena rockers Foreigner. The songs are:
  
  Headknocker
  Feels Like the First Time
  Blue Morning, Blue Day
  
  Read More
  
  
• Mass Effect 2 To Include Different Transfer System

  by Matt Schmachtenberg June 29th 2009 8:23 PM EDT0 Comments

  When the original Mass Effect was released, Bioware promised players that they would be able to transfer their character over to the sequel with all their skills intact, no matter how many times you played the game over. However, they’re changing their tune for Mass Effect Numero Deux… slightly. While ME2 players will still be able to carry their characters over from the second game to the final game, they will, as of now, not be allowed to play through multiple times with the same character before transferring it. That means no more hours of power leveling before the third game comes out and no more second chances on your moral choices. Of course you’ll still be able to create another character and play the game again, but you’ll be starting from scratch skill-wise.
• Worms 2 and King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match come to XBLA this week

  by Chris Holmes June 29th 2009 3:08 PM EDT0 Comments

  Major Nelson has confirmed that this week’s arcade releases will be Worms 2 and King of Fighters Ultimate, both available on Wednesday for a rather safe 800 points each. This makes a change for the normally hit or miss content on the arcade as of late, with Worms 2 especially being hotly tipped for massive success after the upscaled and rejigged update did very well on the service last year.
  
  King of Fighters Ultimate (the full name is too long) could be another story altogether, as side-scrolling beat-em-ups have been rather hit or miss on the service, with the main complaint being around the control system and the failure to recreate that true coin-op “magic” of yesteryear. Find out for yourselves and moan at me if you’re wrong later this week. Current speculation is that Battlefield 1943 will hit next week.
  
• PS3's Mars might be coming to the 360.

  by Steve Bogda June 29th 2009 12:19 PM EDT0 Comments

  The PS3 exclusive Mars might not be exclusive for so long. Spider (Mars' developer) is now leaking out that a 360 version of the game might not be too far down the pipe. However, the developer said that no work is currently being done on the project (what a tease). Spider CEO Jehanne Rousseau won't allow his company to start any development until they find a publisher to pay for the game's  development cost.
  
  So, let's guess some publishers that might give this game a run. Let's start with....Microsoft?
  
• Thriller Video Free On Xbox Live Marketplace

  by Zack Rovinsky June 28th 2009 10:35 PM EDT0 Comments

  As a tribute to the late King of Pop; Microsoft is offering his iconic Thriller video for free on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
  
  Thriller not only showed that music videos could be more than people lip-synching and writhing around in interesting places, it also gave us an eerie hint as to what Jackson would eventually become: a dancing zombie.
  
  So get on and download; if only to remember the good old days when Jacko was popular, black, seemingly normal, and alive.
  
• 1 vs. 100 Free Weekend For Silver Members

  by Zack Rovinsky June 26th 2009 3:45 PM EDT0 Comments

  Hey cheapskates!
  
  Still holding out on getting an Xbox Live gold membership? Still complaining that it should be free to friends who stopped listening long ago? Still hearing about how fun online play is and crying yourself to sleep? Well, I have good news
  
  You (XBL silver members) get the chance to experience 1 vs. 100, the latest thing that's so great about XBL gold, for free this weekend (Friday 6/26 - Sunday 6/28).
  
  So get on there, have some fun, feel happier than you've felt in years, and watch it all slip away Sunday night as you return to your life of pain and emptiness.
  
• The King Is Dead

  by Zack Rovinsky June 25th 2009 10:35 PM EDT1 Comments

  Michael Jackson; entertainer of many, molester of some, has died today Xbox Focus has learned.
  
  While I may not listen to his music or agree with his parenting style, we'll always have Moonwalker
  
  Rest In Peace.
  
• Blake Griffin Is NCAA Basketball 10's Cover Boy

  by Zack Rovinsky June 25th 2009 3:19 PM EDT0 Comments

  As Blake Griffin is waiting to have his life ruined at the NBA draft here's a shred of good news for the college stud: he'll be on the cover of EA Sports' NCAA Basketball 10, or is that 010? Whatever.
  
  So, come November, when the Clippers are dead last and both Blake's knees have exploded, at least he can look at the new games shelf, smile, and think of the good days.
  
• New Screens for Serious Sam HD

  by Dave Horvath June 25th 2009 2:05 PM EDT0 Comments

  Fans of the in your face shooter Serious Sam will now be able to enjoy the massive waves of enemies and obnoxiously big guns in stunning HD via Xbox Live Arcade. Majesco, in cooperation with Serious Same's creators Croteam have gone through and brought us Serious Sam: First Encounter HD and all his hordes of enemies. The gameplay and physics have been bought up to today's standards, new content has been added and polished graphics have been given the high-definition treatment. What exact changes in content there are still remains to be seen. Read More